INDIA, RUSSIA AND THE DEAL FOR 5th GENERATION FIGHTER

India has tried another attempt to agreement with Russia about the design and production of a new fighter jet: the Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) or as it is known in India, the Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF).

A preliminary $295 million design contract was inked in 2010. The original deal involved Russia procuring 250 and India 144 aircraft at a cost of around $30 billion by 2022. However, in 2015, the Russian Air Force notified India that it would only induct a squadron (12-16 aircraft).Indian Defense Ministry wants to increase the number of fighter squadrons in the Indian Air Force and wants to upgrade also its future fleet of 272 Sukhoi-30 MKI to ‘Super Sukhois’ with Russia’s support by 2017, fitting the aircraft with new weapons systems and more advanced avionics (they are set to be equipped with advanced active electronically scanned array radars and long-range stand-off missiles).One source said that Russia, apart resolving technical and cost issues, has also agreed to allow IAF test pilots to fly its prototypes: the Sukhoi PAK FA T-50.